Political Discussions:Legalization of Marijuana?

[Col. Communicator]

A recent study by Columbia University's Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found a pronounced difference in future drug use between kids who used marijuana and those who did not. It revealed that teens who smoke marijuana are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than those who do not. This means the odds of using other drugs increases with the increased frequency of marijuana smoking."
Here's another.
The Eagle Forum stated in its brochure titled "Facts You Need to Know About ... Marijuana," from its website (accessed Mar. 2006):

"Since THC is continually in the body, the 'high' from pot gradually diminishes, and so pot smokers usually take other drugs to get a kick.

Nevertheless, they continue to smoke pot as they use the other drugs, because they think pot makes them 'feel good all the time.' Most pot smokers drink alcohol heavily, and many become so confused that they take cocaine and heroin....

Not all pot smokers use cocaine or heroin, but almost no one takes these drugs who has not used marijuana extensively.
Without pot smoking, there would be no demand for cocaine or heroin."

I sent 2 other sites on a prior post that disappeared. LOLOL
We can do this all day. I don't want to argue their opinion, I wanted to argue yours. That's a debate.
Bottom line is that my last post is just like the "cited" source you linked. It is a agenda filled source that is trying to get pot legalized, my site is trying to keep it illegal. Either way I really don't care. I just wanted a debate because it is fun and I have kids growing up that smoke pot and I am concerned for them. Just as concerned as if they drank, which they do.

[Col.Brandon_ha]

Are you kidding me? Did you even read your own cited source? It supports ME! It hardly even mentions marijuana, and when it does its as a secondary drug subsequent to alcohol or tobacco.

"The stepping stone theory is really a stepping stone hypothesis, for which there is a lack of evidence that any such sequence is causal. Although it might be widely accepted by the public, it has lost credibility and support among research scientists because of the lack of evidence supporting any causality. "

http://scienceblog.com/12116/study-says ... eway-drug/ university of Pittsburgh medical center "
http://news.ufl.edu/2012/07/10/alcohol-gateway/ university of florida
http://www.rand.org/blog/2012/07/import ... ation.html Rand corp.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... x/abstract Journal of school health

Are they all bias? Or do the facts just disagree with you? The only causal link between marijuana and other drugs is by their illegal nature, the only reason young kids try it is because its illegal and they can get it, if its handled like alcohol they can't get it as easily and any link to other drugs is gone because its sold in a convenience store with id checks like cigarettes and booze. The gateway effect is predicated on its illegal nature, not anything to do with marijuana itself, when studied impartially it becomes quite clear.

[Gen.Jersey]

One contributing factor to the "gateway drug" theory is the profit margins of drug dealers. Marijuana is very bulky, and costs less by weight (and especially volume), compared to most other illegal drugs. Because of this, drug dealers commonly try to "up-sell" more profitable drugs to their regular customers who only purchase marijuana.

Legalizing the use of marijuana and regulating its sale similar to that of alcohol would considerably reduce this pathway to more dangerous drugs. If a person could walk into a store and purchase marijuana just like they can buy vodka at a liquor store, that person would never have to seek out a dealer on the black market.

[Col. Communicator]

All of the above are cited sources as well. Apparently you think your sources are more valid than mine.

[Col.Brandon_ha]

Yours aren't cited sources, they're exerts from sources with no citation or associated link. However the only one you did successfully cite did not support your argument in the slightest, much the opposite.

Thank you Jersey, while most dealers start out with weed and many do move up it's not a quality or influence of marijuana, but of the black market and economics, greater profit margins, equal risk.


Communicator , If you're concerned for your kids because they smoke marijuana, vote for it to be legalized, because the current policy only exacerbates what would be a rather harmless plant into a life destroying cloud of legal consequences for simply possessing a bit of weed.

750,000 people where arrested last year in the USA for simply possessing a bit of recreational (and sometimes medicinal) weed, thats one every 42 seconds. Do these people really need their lives destroyed because of how they choose to relax? It's something less addictive than sugar and less toxic than H2O, but because back in the 1930's it was used by a bunch of Mexicans and blacks, white supremacist paper mill owners chose to fight hemp by attacking marijuana with racist propaganda, from then on the government lead the charge. Business interest trumped personal rights and freedoms because of racism and xenophobia, is that really a history we should keep enforcing? Because the drug war still targets these groups unequally, racism is alive and well.

[Gen.Jersey]

Because the drug war still targets these groups unequally, racism is alive and well.

Agreed. For an example, take a look at the disparity in sentencing guidelines between crack and cocaine. They are merely two different forms of the exact same drug, but the possession of 5 grams of crack carries the same jail sentence as 90 grams of cocaine. That's an 18:1 ratio -- you need to be in possession of 18 times more cocaine than crack to receive the same sentence.

Up until 2007, it was even more imbalanced. Possession of 5 grams of crack carried the same sentence as 500 grams of cocaine (a 100:1 ratio).

[Gen.Jersey]

I would recommend that everyone, regardless of their views on the drug war, to read "Under the Influence: The Disinformation Guide to Drugs". It is a collection of essays about the War on Drugs from many different viewpoints, including both drug users and law enforcement personnel.

[Col.Brandon_ha]

"Without pot smoking, there would be no demand for cocaine or heroin."

Does the person who said that realize that cocaine and heroin where very much established in the us drug culture long before marijuana even entered the boarders or became notable?

[frigileFrieda]

I think some german will know the cannibal of koblenz, he smoked pot and killed his 22-year old cousin and ate some parts of her... i think you shouldn't underrate the effect of pot, though...

[Col.Brandon_ha]

"I think some german will know the cannibal of koblenz, he smoked pot and killed his 22-year old cousin and ate some parts of her... i think you shouldn't underrate the effect of pot, though..."

No one has ever had the munchies THAT bad. It's obvious this guy had many mental issues. No one would logically imply that the pot had anything to do with his murder and cannibalizing of his cousin, unless they happened to be his defence attorney.